In tough climate, former WEC champ Urijah Faber's hard work pays off

Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber (23-3 MMA, 8-2 WEC) may not have a black belt in jiu-jitsu, but that doesn’t mean he can’t school black belts.

Faber was supposed to have the striking advantage when he faced submission ace Raphael Assuncao (14-2 MMA, 2-1 WEC) at this past Sunday’s WEC 46 event in Sacramento, Calif.

But after giving — and taking — some serious punches, Faber surprised his hometown crowd by choking out the Brazilian in the third round.

At the evening’s post-event press conference, Faber said the result shouldn’t have necessarily come as a surprise.

“If you go and watch the top competitions in submission grappling, you see the best guys in the world all the time catching each other in submissions,” Faber said. “I’m also a very good submission guy. I’ve gone with black belts at all different levels, and I’ve put in my time.”

Faber, a former six-time WEC featherweight champion, made a “proactive” recovery during a seven-month layoff due to a broken right hand and said he felt fine punching with Assuncao.

Still, Faber admitted that Assuncao’s pressure surprised him during their 13-plus minutes together, putting him on the defense as he tried to get space to strike. With only three rounds to work, he knew he needed to make the most out of the standing exchanges.

“He was doing a good job of tying me up, so it took a little bit of time to be able to open up and start throwing down,” Faber said. “I think we both were kind of working for an advantage in the clinch, so it tends to be a little bit slower. But it picked up.”

When the action inevitably tumbled to the mat, Faber made the most of it by delivering punishment from top position and nearly locking in a guillotine choke in the second round.

“That kind of surprised me a little bit,” Assuncao said afterward. “He has a great guillotine.”

Equally surprising to the Brazilian was when Faber raised the bet and hopped on his back in the third round, which he hadn’t prepared for. In a flash, the former champion had snaked his arm underneath Assuncao’s head and started squeezing.

“We spent a little time training to defend [the guillotine],” Assuncao said. “I guess I’d like to have spent a little time on the rear-naked.

“I thought I would be able to get out of it by giving him my back and controlling him on the wrists and bumping him off of me.”

Faber said that while a wrestling background gives him his base, he has six years worth of jiu-jitsu skills to compete with the best out there.

“I don’t think he overlooked my jiu-jitsu,” Faber said. “But when you’re dealing with guys that really have dangerous weapons, there’s the ability to get caught in there. I was able to capitalize.”

WEC general manager Reed Harris said Faber’s next charge will be current featherweight champion, Jose Aldo. Though there are still many moving parts to sort out, Harris said Sacramento’s ARCO Arena – which turned out in force to support WEC 36 – could host the fight.

Faber was impressed with Sunday’s crowd, expecially given the economic conditions in the state’s capital.

“I think the economy is affecting people, and I was just stoked that so many people did come out and dug deep in their pockets and came to support me and the rest of the guys here,” Faber said. “That crowd was loud.

“We’re really making it a tradition here at the ARCO Arena with the WEC putting on great fights. I’m happy to lead that front.”

As Faber looks forward to 2010, “The California Kid” said the challenges of 2009 never got him down.

“I’m pretty steady in my personality and mentality,” Faber said. “I don’t get down very much. It’s just exciting for me every time I fight here. I really enjoy fighting, and I really enjoy fighting in front of the Sacramento crowd.

“It doesn’t really matter what the circumstances are. I didn’t really feel like I was out that long. I was out before the Jens Pulver fight six months. This was a seven-month layoff, and I was working out the whole time. I had a great time.”

For complete coverage of WEC 46, check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

Steven Marrocco is a staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com and an MMA contributor for The Vancouver Sun.